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There are two levels at which you need to deliver precision in your performance as a cricketer one is the strategic level and one is the technical level.

The strategic level concerns the plan you have in place and deals with the selection of shot or delivery you make in a given situation.  For example if a batsman chooses to defend a ball on the front foot which he thinks will miss the stumps he takes on the risk of being caught behind the wicket for a return of no runs as opposed to a batsman who leaves the same delivery and completely eliminates the risk.  The leave option makes more sense as it eliminates the risk of being out to a ball that could not be scored off.  A more precise strategic alternative is to leave the ball.  You will need to know your plan in terms of your strengths and weakness and previous performances and apply it to the conditions you are in and the opposition you face on the day.  My basic batting strategy is to defend balls on the stumps and score from or leave the balls off the stumps.

At the technical level you need to be precise in your attention to detail regarding the key requirements of the task.  For example when executing a defensive stroke when batting these factors will include the quality of your balance, full face contact, coverage of your stumps and soft hands.

I group the errors that players make into the strategic and technical categories.  For example a batsman may make a mistake because he chooses the wrong shot to play to a given ball and in this case no amount of technical skill will fix this error, a player will need to be precise to ensure the right shot is played to the right ball and this comes from having a plan that works and applying it with consistency.  An example of a technical error would be that a player selects the right shot to the ball and the technical side of the shot fails, perhaps due to poor balance or alignment such as non-full face contact.

To perform consistently you will need to apply your skills to the task at hand at both the strategic and technical levels, first to make the rights choice and then secondly to execute your option correctly.  To achieve this level of precision my recommendations are;

  • Have a thorough knowledge of your game plan and technical skills and apply them with consistency.
  • Master your technical skills through hours of quality and focused practice.
  • Accept, relax and enjoy the challenge.

Next time your are watching the cricket on TV you might like to pick a top international player and see if you can work out their game plan.  The very good players will be prepared for every option and execute their plan with technical precision consistently.

Good luck

Mark

To date Mark has amassed extensive professional experience as an elite player with the Tasmanian, the Prime Ministers XI, Australian XI and Australia ‘A’ teams and an array of clubs in the United Kingdom and New South Wales. Mark’s elite level cricket experience is complemented by a Bachelor’s degree in physical education, which has enabled him to apply his knowledge of bio mechanics, skill acquisition, sport psychology and learning methodologies to his own career as a professional player and coach. His coaching credentials and expertise have been further enhanced through the attainment of his Level 3 cricket coaching accreditation from Cricket Australia. Mark has a Master’s degree in Business Administration, from Southern Cross University, Australia.

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